Digimon World: Dusk / Dawn will be best enjoyed by rabid fans that enjoyed the original

by Cole Smith

Digimon World: Dusk/Dawn is a continuation of the original Digimon World RPG that created quite a stir. It was a great game in many ways because it was unique in many aspects. It still maintained the basic RPG elements, but managed to do so in such a way as to make the gameplay fresh. The Digimon universe was captured to good effect so that fans of the show could play this game and not even be aware that they were playing an RPG. But that was yesterday's news.

These two sequels, Digimon World: Dust and Digimon World: Dawn, don't foray off the beaten path that was trampled in the prequel. Only your personal interest in the Digimon series, and being comfortable with the similarities of the gameplay, will determine your enjoyment of either of these titles.

First of all, there are some fundamental differences between Dusk and Dawn. Ultimately they are the same game, insofar as the premise, story, battle system and general gameplay are concerned. They differ primarily at the outset of the game, as different playable characters and party members are featured. You'll start out with Light Fank in Dawn, and Night Crow in Dusk. The order that you encounter the dungeons will also differ, but you will still deal with the same creatures, items, turn-based random battles, and strategies. Both games take the same relative path, and they ultimately share the same conclusion.

A digital realm exists in which humans can enter and interact with creatures known as Digimon. These creatures, like Pokemon, can be collected, trained, and put into battle. Each Digimon has different abilities, along with different personalities that you can interact with. They display enough depth to keep you interested, which in turn feeds your desire to collect more. You can befriend them, instill them with confidence, or make them dislike you. There are some 400 different Digimons to collect. With all that you can do with them, that translates to a lot of game.

The storyline is textbook save-the-world RPG fare. A virus threatens the world of Digimon, turning some of the creatures into digieggs. It's up to you to blah...blah...blah.... The gameplay is segmented into a series of missions which are doled out at headquarters in town. You feel like the errand boy as you go about each task, only to return and receive more instructions. You do get some points and some money which will help you level-up your creatures, but first you have to collect them. Collecting Digimon requires scanning data. Once you have enough data, you can own the creature.

Training and leveling-up takes place at the Digifarm, but unlike the first version, you only require one main farm, which is located on an island. The various components used to train and feed your creatures are earned in battle. Background Music and Terrain Boards may be installed on your Digifarm to suit the attributes of the creatures that you have acquired. The Terrain Boards become permanent additions and cannot be changed. They will determine the type of Digimon, armor, and gadgets that can be upgraded. They will also change the appearance of your Digifarm. If you want to collect and upgrade more Digimon, you'll need more Terrain Boards. Since you can't just buy them outright, the process is more tedious than in the original game. Various training tools will allow your creatures to upgrade while you're away on business. You can monitor their progress on the top screen.